Adjustable pipe-wrench.



No. 831,130. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

G. E. WITT. ADJUSTABLE PIPE WRENCH.

APPLIUATIN FILED JAN. 30, 1905.

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GEORGE E. WITT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNlA.

ADJUSTABLE PIPE-WRENCH.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed January 30,1905. u Serial No. 243,433.

T0 all whom it m/a/g/ concern.-

Be it known that l, GEORGE E. WITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ad justable Pipe-l/Vrenches 5 and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Generally speaking, my invention is an improvement in wrenches; but to be more specific it is a quick-acting wrench capable of fulfilling all the requisites of the ordinary pipe-wrench and in addition can be adjusted or set up and locked in a relatively rapid manner.

ln carrying out my invention I have not overlooked the fact that in order to be eiiicient the wrench must closely hug the pipe and be free from any play, and with this object in view l have provided means whereby the jaws are forced to snugly hug the pipe after they have been brought rapif ly against the opposite faces thereof.

Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear in the following specification, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

l am enabled to accomplish the objects of my invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a full-size side elevation of the wrench, a portion of the handle being broken away to economize space. Fig. f2 is a section taken on the line X X in Fig. 1. Fig.' 3 is a section taken on the line Y Y of Fig. 2.

The jaws A and formed with shanks C and D, respectively, and are serrated on their bearing-surfaces, as shown in Fig. 1. Straddling the Shanks C and D and formed with a thickened portion al to engage with a corresponding recess in the opposite faces of the shank C is the member E. The opposite free ends of this member E are connected by means of the cross-rivets l), which in turn hold a bottom plate F in place. interposed between the shanks C and D and adapted to engage with the toothed edge d of shank C is the movable block G. This block G is held in close engagement with shank C by means of the spring-pressed member H. The outer eX- tremity of the shank D is cut away in such a B of the wrench are.

manner as to receive a projection p. This projection p has an inclined face at q, which is engaged by a similarface on shankD. New it will be readily seen from the description so far gonei'nto that as the thumb is placed on the member H and forced downward the block G will be disengaged from the shank C, in which position the shank C and jaw Awill be free to move in either direction through the member E. Assuming that a pipe is placed against the jaw B and the member H released, as above described, the jaw A can be quickly forced up snugly against the opposite side of the pipe. New as the wrench is turned in the operation of turning the pipe the jaw B and shank D will naturally be pried out, which operation forces the inclined face q against the block G, thereby setting it firmly into the serrations on the shank C. Y

The spring-pressed button K (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l) is for the purpose of throwing the outer edge of the shank D away from the block G as the pipe is released.

In Fig. 3 l have substituted the springpressed button L for' the button K, and in so doing I may find it possible to omit the spring M, which operates the member H.

To add to the rapidity of operation of the wrench I have placed a series of graduations on the shank C. As the machinist glances at the pipe to be in anipulated bis trained eye immediately fixes the diameter of the pipe, and by glancing at the graduations on the shank C he can very quickly set the member E in line with the desired graduation. After this is done the wrench is set for that particular pipe, and consequently further manipulation is unnecessary.

The construction and arrangement of the several parts of my invention being thus made known, the operation and many advantages of the same will, it is thought, be readily understood.

By the construction herein shown l am enabled to manufacture and place on the market a rigid, durable, and superior quick-acting adjustable pipe-wrench, and thus to meet the demands of the trade.

Having thuslfully described my invention, what I claim, and Patent, is

A device of the class described consisting of opposite jaws, a suitable shank provided` for each of said jaws, a member guided in and adapted to slide on one of said Shanks, a block carried by said sliding member and I o 5 desire to secure by Letters l adapted to' engage teeth in said shank, said In testimony whereof I have signed my' opposite shank being formed with en inclined name to this specification in the presence of face, said face engaging With a similar face tWo subscribing Witnesses. on said block, movement of said secondary GEORGE E. WITT.

5 shank being adapted to set seid block into Witnesses:

said teeth, substantially as and for the pur- GEORGE PATTESON, pose set forth. ORPHA C. POOR. 

